Change, reassurance and family
by alltheSinnersandalltheSaints
Summary: Peter's family tries to help him adjust.
1. Chapter 1

"How ya doing?" Clint sat down at the kitchen island, fresh mug of coffee in hand. He looked to the billionaire across from him, mussed hair, bags under his eyes so dark they were nearly black. Clearly sleep had been running from the man.

Tony chugged the rest of his - long since cooled - coffee. "Just peachy." He look the archer up and down, taking account of his bird covered flannel pants and t-shirt with a bullseye in the center he could assume it was some time in the morning. What time and what day it was, he didn't know.

"How's the spiderling?" He asked, barely able to keep the concern from his voice despite his best attempts to speak casually. "Did either of you get any sleep?" The piercing glare he received was answer enough.

Tony had officially become Peter's guardian a little over two months ago and the boy had been staying with them since. It was such a relief to everyone; they could give him the proper training to fight and work as a hero, there was enough food for everyone, including an extremely enhanced teenager and the lab had become a sort of safe place. He hadn't returned to school yet but was easily keeping up with his schoolwork which Happy picked up or was brought over by Ned - Happy being his chauffeur. He'd even become a very prominent figure in S.I, but as far as the workers - and especially the media - were concerned Peter was nothing more than Tony's personal intern.

But despite all the positives that came with locking May up and taking Peter in, there were also many unforeseen problems. Ptsd was very common in their line of work, Tony knew this. But no one expected Peter to be so hurt and so scarred. With each ptsd induced nightmare or flashback more and more horrible secrets were revealed.

"It was just nightmare after nightmare." Tony sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "I stayed with him after the first one… he felt so bad about disturbing me," he chuckled fondly, "he could never bother me. Never."

"What're they about? I've only ever been there for one of his night terrors, and it wasn't easy to pinpoint what it was about."

Tony stared off at the black cabinets and the pale grey wall across from him, eyes distant and pained, as if he were digging up painful memories - which he was. "Everything from being shoved into a locker to getting shot all the way to doc Oc and the vulture. Oh, and let's not forget his abusive aunt!" He snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Those are the best."

"Tony I-"

"Don't start with the 'it'll all be okay, stay positive' bullshit." The exhausted mechanic rose from his chair after Friday informed them that Peter was leaving his room. "I have never seen him that upset in real life and I've pulled bullets and knives from his body. He was just fucking dreaming!" He murmured, voice somber and defeated. "Can you imagine what he's been through to make him scream and cry like that? We've barely scratched the surface. Peter will be nothing but vague when it comes to explaining his previous fights with the multiple villains he's faced and absolutely refuses to talk about his life before moving in with his aunt and uncle." He took a deep breath and steadied his shaking hands. "I love the kid and seeing him so…. I just-"

"Boss," Friday's ever smooth voice spoke again, "Peter is asking if he may speak with you. He's currently waiting in the penthouse kitchen."

"Tell him I'll be up in a sec. That I didn't want to disturb him so I came to the communal floor."

"Right away Boss."


	2. Chapter 2

Tony found Peter sitting in the kitchen just as Friday had said. He was humming softly to himself, nodding his head to some unknown beat. The MIT sweatshirt and sweatpants that had previously belonged to the billionaire were pooling around the teens naturally thin frame.

"Tony?" Peter spoke up hesitantly when the older hero remained silent, his quickening heartbeat blaring in the vigilante's ears. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah bud, all good." He assured, his smile grew at the sight of his son's fluffy and disheveled curls. "Why don't you come down and give your old man a hug?"

With the grace of a seasoned acrobat, Peter dropped down from his spot on the ceiling, doing three flips before landing silently on the balls of his feet. He smirked when Tony rolled his eyes, grumbling a 'show off' and pulling the boy in for a hug.

Tony couldn't find the right words to describe moments like these. When he could hold his son, knowing his son was safe from everyone and everything by just being in his arms. No one could touch them. Contentment and pure happiness surged through him when Peter leaned into his touch and completely melted into the embrace. He did this every time they hugged, every time his curls were brushed back or his shoulder was squeezed by calloused hands. He trusted Tony with everything, his life included. It was his purity and innocence, the undying trust that always warmed his heart.

Placing a kiss to Peter's forehead, he gently pulled out of the hug but kept one arm draped across the boy's shoulders. "How 'bout we-" Multiple loud growling noises interrupted him. Peter's wrapped his arms around his stomach, his cheeks turning a deep pink. "Time to eat?" Peter nodded eagerly. Tony just chuckled fondly and guided the two deeper into the kitchen. "So…" he pulled out the eggs, bacon and cinnamon rolls in a tube from the fridge and set them on the counter. "I was thinking we'd eat breakfast," he set a large frying pan on the stove and turned the heat on before handing Peter a tray and the cinnamon rolls, "I thought we'd eat breakfast and then work in the lab for a while." He cracked a dozen eggs into the now sizzling pan and sprinkled shredded cheese over top, then slid the cinnamon rolls Peter prepped into the preheated oven. "How's that sound?"

"That sounds awesome!" Peter chirped, his hands covered in raw bacon. "I love working in the lab."

"I know bud. I'm so glad you do." He was beyond relieved that Peter was up and talking. Usually after a particularly bad night he'd remain quiet and somber. "Fri mentioned that you wanted to talk to me?"

Peter carefully took the sweet smelling cinnamon rolls and crispy bacon from the oven. The delectable smells making his stomach growl in want. He put a roll on Tony's plate then one on his, keeping his eyes down as he answered. "Um… um I- do ye-yeah, I do. If you… have time ya know."

"Always got time for you kid." Tony ruffled Peter's hair and dumped the entire scrambled egg and cheese mixture onto his plate. Peter just gawked. "Don't give me that look," he couldn't help but laugh, "you could eat way more than this easily, plus you've still gotta gain weight."

"I-it's not that." He shifted his weight from foot to foot, playing with his sleeves absentmindedly. "You need to eat too. I don't want put y-you out or anything."

"God kid, you're too pure." Squeezing Peter's shoulder the mechanic sat down beside the young genius - who was blushing once again- and began to unroll his cinnamon roll. It took minimal prompting to get Peter to eat, the kid was perpetually starving, and consumed his meal with earnest vigor.

"Plus," Tony continued, "eggs are full of protein and good fats… omega threes… maybe." He looked to the ceiling as if they held the answers. "And cheese is dairy right? There's calcium in that?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Peter chuckled, taking a long sip of his orange juice. "What do you think Fri?"

"I would say that Boss is unsure of himself." Friday sounded too amused to be an A.I and Tony shot her a glare even though she had no physical form. "Though he has spent approximately seventy nine hours and two minutes researching nutrition, therapy for past trauma such as neglect, as well as child rearing." A hint of pride seemed to leak into her voice. "He has been very busy."

Now it was Tony's turn to feel embarrassed. He never had a problem with giving his friends and family gifts or throwing money at a problem in hopes of making it go away - he was a billionaire for crying out loud, and he kept making millions each year. Why wouldn't he be able to spoil the people he cared about? But thanks to Peter's influence, he'd been making a conscious effort to no longer take the easy way out when it came to dealing with a problem. But he didn't want Peter - who always felt like he was a burden - to feel like he was wasting anyone's time.

"You… did research, for me?" A huge grin plastered itself on Peter's face, his big brown eyes glistening slightly. "Aw."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He pushed Peter's head back playfully and stood, letting his joints pop and adjust to the new position. "You all done?" He looked to Peter's plate which was practically licked clean, the remaining eight cinnamon rolls, the gallon of orange juice and the bacon were also gone. The kid was practically buzzing with excited energy. "I take that as a yes."

"Let's get this bread!" Peter exclaimed, grabbing Tony's hand and darting forward towards their private elevator Friday had waiting for them.

"Bread…" Tony was beyond confused, "what bread?"

….

The two settled into a routine whenever they worked in the lab - they worked rhythmically no matter what they were doing; be it fighting some psychotic villain, working on a project for S.I or just going through day to day business. But the lab was different, it was their safe space.

Three hours in and the two geniuses were covered in grease and other various chemicals. Tony was working on an old prototype for an iron man repulser while Peter worked on fixing a hole in his Spider-Man suit. The two chatted about new theories in physics, which was better Star Wars or Star Trek and how Peter's school work was going.

But after a big lunch and a quick drop in from Bruce and Rhodey "Just to make sure the father son duo are still alive" Rhodey had said while Bruce gave Peter three Power bars meant for someone with an enhancement metabolism and reminded them to stay hydrated - Peter's snarky quips and usual rambling died down. Another hour passed and the kid still remained unnaturally quiet; his movements produced no sound, not even his breathing could be heard.

"Okay Underoos," Tony sighed, setting down his tools and wiping his hands on an equally dirty rag. "What's on your mind?" He leaned his hip against Peter's workbench, fresh cup of coffee in hand. "I can see the wheels turning in your head."

Peter took the rag offered to him but said nothing, simply averting his gaze to the scuffed cement floor. Tony didn't allow the unnerving silence to stretch any further, plopping himself down on a nearby stool he gestured for Peter to do the same.

"Come on Pete." He prompted, resting his hand on Peter's bony knee, knowing that physical contact eased the boy's nerves. Hesitantly, he asked, "is it about your nightmares?"

A few tears slipped down Peter's cheeks and he nodded, quickly wiping the unwanted moisture away with the thick sleeve of his sweatshirt. It still smelled like motor oil and Tony's cologne and he found it comforting.

"I'm not gonna force ya. But…" he set his coffee aside, "You need to talk about it at some point, whatever it is. Bottling everything up isn't healthy. Believe me, I know."

Peter looked up at him with red rimmed eyes, the bags underneath were so dark they looked black against his pale skin. He was shaking, ever so slightly, and didn't take a genius- which Tony was - to figure out that something was really bothering the kid. He was about to dismiss the conversation, move the boy's attention to something else, anything to bring a smile to his face. But Peter took a deep breath, in through his nose and out through his mouth, just like Tony and Bruce had taught him to do when he could feel an anxiety attack coming. Taking another deep breath he swallowed his fear, looked his father figure in the eyes and started to talk.


	3. Chapter 3

"I got bitten… when I was five. By-by the spider… I mean." His voice was slightly hoarse and the wetness in his eyes proved it was because he was holding back tears. "My parents-" He took a deep, albeit shaky breath before continuing. "They created the spider. It was the only one that survived, the only successful experiment. It was created with my genetic code in mind. They had to of stolen money from somewhere. Genetic engineering is ridiculously pricey." He scrubbed at his eyes and laughed wetly, "I know they didn't spend any of it on me." He shuddered," unless it was for testing."

Tony had read all the files available regarding Richard and Mary Parker when Peter had come into his life. His parents had been brilliant geneticists that had served Shield loyally for many years before abruptly dropping off the grid. Fury even addressed them once, recalling their brilliance and knowledge of cross species genetics. Then they died in a plane crash almost four years ago.

If his memory served him right, the Parkers left Shield a little over fifteen years ago, right before Peter would've been born.

"They didn't-" he took another shaky breath and Tony took his smaller hand between his own, hoping it would help with whatever the boy needed to say, "they didn't want me, not really… not- not as their kid anyway."

Some of the puzzle pieces were falling into place in Tony's mind. And he did not like the picture it revealed. They way Peter refused to discuss his childhood before the two years spent with his aunt and uncle, how in the midst of some of his worst nightmares he'd cry out and whimper "please mom" or "dad stop I'm sorry". Tony used to think Peter was crying out in want, that he missed his parents and wanted them back. But now… he wasn't so sure.

"I was nothing. I was nothing to them."

At this, Tony pulled his kid into a tight hug, keeping up against his chest with Peter's ear right above his heart. A raw sob tour its way from Peter's throat and he was left sobbing, clinging so tightly to Tony that the mechanic's AC/DC shirt ripped all the way up the back. Peter gasped and went to pull away, opening his mouth to presumably apologize but Tony only shushed him, pulling him impossibly closer. He rocked them back and forth, running his fingers through the soft curls tickling his chin and murmuring soft reassurances.

It took every ounce of his willpower and self control combined to remain seated and to not don his suit and put a hole through a wall. He wanted to scream and cry in rage. At who he didn't know, he didn't particularly care either. He just wanted to fucking destroy something.

"Bud…" he really didn't know what to say, there was nothing he could do, "I'm so, so sorry. Truly Pete. I'm sorry."

"I was… I was just an ex- an experiment." He managed to gasp out a few words, each punctuated by a harsh sob. "They hate… they hated me."

"Oh kiddo," he began rubbing circles along the knobs of Peter's spine, "I'm… im sure that's not completely true." He didn't want to lie to him, but he was desperate to console the sobbing child in his arms. And that's what he was, a child; a child who had been through more than him and anyone he knew, a selfless hero who suffered in silence for the sake of others. "Please ju-"

"They said so!" The forcefulness in which he said it and the bluntness of his statement through the mechanic off. "I'm a mutant, something like me shouldn't exist! I'm dangerous!" Peter pulled himself away from the sturdy arms in a way that was almost guilty, like he didn't deserve the comfort. "I was raised to be a weapon. Sold to the highest bidder." He slouched forward. His confession - the truth of his past held inside for too long - draining him more than his outburst and the nightmares that plagued him. "I'm nothing but… but some monster." Innocent doe eyes met Tony's and the billionaire's heart clenched at the hurt and somber look they held. "They reminded me every day." He wiped his nose and sniffed. "Rhodey said… he said we were father and son. And I… I know you're just my guardian."

Tony sat with bated breath. Was Peter offended by that? Or did he want him to be his father? Was that apprehension or hurt in hanging on his words? Or was it both? Tony made a point to address the topic later. Maybe - and he dearly hoped so - Peter would like calling him dad?

Everyone of their teammates, including Happy, Pepper - even Ned and MJ as far as he was aware - knew that Tony was Peter's legal guardian. Only Natasha and Miss. Gordon - who were there as witnesses - Rhodey, and Pepper - who got the custody and adoption papers together - knew he'd adopted the vigilante. With how much Peter was struggling recently he'd neglected to say anything.

Peter startled him from his thoughts, voice quiet and hoarse, "I know you're not like my da- um… you're not like him. But I… im just-"

"Afraid to let your guard down." Tony surmised. "You don't want to get your hopes up because you've only ever been disappointed." Peter nodded solemnly.

Before Peter could see the rivers of salty tears trailing down his face, Tony embraced him again. They sat silently for a while, until Peter's cries had turned into soft whimpers and Tony had regained control of his emotions.

Schooling his expression into that of his usual calm self, Tony sat back and held Peter at arms length, his hands firmly grasping the boy's shoulders. "You know," he began, the corners of his mouth turning up to form a smile as peter looked up at him curiously, his head cocked to the side making him look even more adorable and puppy like, "I can't change the past, but I can promise you a better future." He brushed the curly bangs from Peter's eyes, huffing a laugh when Peter leaned into the touch.

"Thank you Tony. I love you." The truthfulness of his statement nearly had the man crying again.

"Who couldn't love me? I'm iron man." His attempt at a superhero pose was incredibly embarrassing, but the genuine laugh it got from Peter was well worth it.


	4. Chapter 4

"Holy shit!" Sam tossed the TV remote aside, making Bruce jump, and turned towards the billionaire as he entered the kitchen where both super soldiers were making dinner. Rhodey quickly scooped up the remote. "I didn't expect to see you 'til tomorrow. You usually hide away in the lab."

Tony flipped him off, taking a seat at the large granite island. "The mini genius and I were in the lab for quite some time. It was a very productive day." He refrained from mentioning Peter's parents or anything else the boy had told him. "He told me to take a break, subsequently locking me out of my lab."

Natasha huffed a laugh, not even trying to cover her amusement as she normally would.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny."

"It is." She said. "You could've gone to any of the other lower level labs, but you didn't. Instead you chose to take your son's advice."

"Well he ganged up with Friday." Tony exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration and nearly hitting Clint in the nose as he sat down to join them. "She would've locked me out of every stinken lab!"

Natasha rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated huff. "You're missing my point. Peter has you and Friday wrapped around his little finger." She chuckled, "all of us really."

"And what makes it even better, "Bucky grumbled, though there was no malice in his voice; only soft affections, "is the little spiderling has absolutely no idea. He's just being his adorable self."

Tony's lips turned up into a smile, "I didn't take you as a softie Barnes."

"I'm not!" He stabbed the large steak knife he'd been using to chop potatoes into the cutting board.

"Sure."

"You should've seen em back in the day." Steve had a distant look in his eyes as he recalled the times before the war. "He was always hel-"

Steve grunted when Bucky elbowed him in the ribs with his metal arm. He sent his friend a glare which was easily returned.

"So Miss. Romanoff," Tony turned to the spy, "anything new on the MMO? Weapons, strategies, names… anything?"

"No nothing." Her voice was even and her expression remained casual, but they could sense and empathize with her frustration. "The only thing that's relatively new, is social media users either supporting or criticizing the organization. What's worrying me, is that some the chief executive of New York seems to be commending the MMO and their actions against dangerous and threatening individuals. We need to be careful," she warned, her tone conveying the seriousness of the situation, "people are normally afraid of what they can't control." She glanced between Tony and Steve. "The accords are a perfect example of what happens when fear dictates the people's decisions."

"Enhanced individuals with unnatural powers do tend to draw attention." Bruce added, sitting down beside his friends, chuckling humorlessly. "Believe me I know."

"What d'you suggest we do?" Bucky snapped, his patience for people - who he and his team save on a weekly basis - growing thin. "It's not like we stop aliens from taking over the world, or stop crazy terrorists from poisoning the entire United States. It's not like we're saving lives or anything.

"Lay low. Plain and simple." Tony set his phone aside. "We just stay out of the limelight and keep quiet. That'll give us a chance to gather more information regarding the MMO and gauge the public's reaction to our temporary leave of absence."

"Makes sense." Steve nodded in agreement then looked to his teammates. "All agreed?" He got multiple forms of confirmation, including a no shit from Clint which he quickly followed with language. "I'll call Scott and let him know. What're you gonna tell Pete?"

"That he can't patrol for awhile."

Each avenger shot the billionaire a look that said good luck.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He waved them off. "I know that won't go over well. But he can survive two weeks without his daily parade through Queens and Manhattan. He's got school and I'll keep him busy in the lab. Speaking ow which, Friday?"

"Yes Boss." Came the instant reply.

"How the spider baby doing? Still in his lab doing nerd stuff?"

"He is currently in his lab working on one of the biotech projects for Stark Industries." Tony picked up on the hint of pride in her voice. "He has made quite a bit of progress and has fixed multiple problems your other interns were unable to figure out."

"Of course he has. He one of the smartest people in the world." There was nothing smug about the statement, just confidence in the facts and pride in his son.

"Such a dad." Clint said in an overly sappy way, knowing the billionaire hated it but couldn't argue.

"Any singing yet?"

"That invasion of privacy." Tony ignored his best friends eye roll along with Natasha's disapproving look.

"He'll sing for us when he's ready." Steve nodded. "Just give him time."

"I," He sat up straighter and put a hand on his chest, "I am anything but patient. Plus there's no cameras in the bedrooms or bathrooms."

"Thank God."

"Shut up Clint. Anyway, the labs, common rooms and any public area have surveillance and are fair game."

"Mini Boss has been singing for the past two hours thirty five minutes and six seconds."

"What!" Tony waved his hand above his phone and a hologram appeared showing live footage of Peter in his own personal lab. "I told you to notify me if he was singing Fri! Is there a glitch in your systems I need to check?"

"No Boss." He scuffed at the amusement in her voice. "Master Peter has asked me to ignore protocol, Singing Spider, as he doesn't like to be spied on and can't help that you are, what he called, a nosey nellie."

The team burst into laughter. Tony just barely concealing his laughter behind mock offense. "Little smart ass," he shook his head with a fond smile, "he's just like me."

"Is there sound?" Natasha asked, inching closer to get a better look at the hologram.

"Oh, so you're curious too." Tony smirked, seeing his victory.

"As a matter of fact I am. Only Rhodes, Clint, Scott and Bucky have heard him so far." She crossed her arms over her chest. "But Peter's shy, and I have no intention of embarrassing him."

"Well then, he doesn't need to know. Does he? Friday, unmute."

The music filled the room instantly, it wasn't loud but crisp and clear. Peter's senses were dialed up to almost unbearable levels so he never blared his music, unlike his father. Tony recognized the song from Peter's playlist. Scars by Boy Epic.

Every once in a while Tony let Peter play his music in the lab when they worked together. He'd heard this song multiple times and -although he refused to admit it - he really liked it.

He remembered the first time he let Peter play his music through the speakers and how he playfully chastised his son's choice of music.

"Seriously kid. What is this pop stuff?"

Peter had rolled his eyes at that. Tony felt a warmth blossom in his chest when he realized the resemblance between them. Despite not being biologically related both geniuses were built skinny, had deep brown eyes and curly hair, they even shared the same smile.

"It's not pop Tony. Most of my playlist is alternative or Indie rock." He said matter of factly.

"This song, what's it called?" He pointed towards the ceiling where the hidden speakers were and where the music was coming from.

"Scars by Boy Epic. I've got a lot of there song on my phone." On his fingers he listed a few more singers and bands. "Imagine Dragons, Bea Miller and The Score are really good too. I can kinda relate to the songs… the lyrics I mean."

"Yeah? What about 'em?"

"Just the meaning I guess. They're motivational, but not cheesy, ya know. They mean something… tell a story."

"He's so damn good." Clint couldn't help but comment.

_I'll take my bow_

_I won't make a sound_

_I whisper truce_

_as the ashes hit the ground_

_Hush love_

_No I'm not what you think that I am made of_

_I'm a story_

_I'm a breakup_

_Just a hero on a bridge that's burning down_

Peter sang as he worked; twisting nuts and bolts into place, removing and re-arranging wires, his voice never once faltering. The group watched silently as if in a trance by the young teens voice.

_So who's it gonna be_

_The one that you only need_

_I gave it all and all you gave_

_Was sweet misery_

"I can't believe he's scared to sing in front of us." Steve whispered unable to look away from the video. "He's so good."

"He doesn't believe that though." Bucky ground out, his fists clenched, "the only reason he had that stinkin' job was because of his fucking aunt."

"Easy Buck." The heavy weight of Steve's hand on his shoulder grounded the ex-assassin and along with Peter's soothing voice he calmed down.

Maybe, Bucky thought, once Peter gained some confidence and was comfortable singing around them, he wouldn't mind helping with the nightmares and stress that followed each avenger. His voice could easily lull you to sleep. He made a note to ask later.

_So who's gonna save us now_

_When the ashes hit the ground_

_I gave it all_

_But all you gave was sweet misery_

_So who's it gonna be_

_The one that you only need_

_I gave it all and all you gave_

_Was sweet misery_

Tony held his breath through the final verse and exhaled when the song ended. He watched as Peter continued working, humming along to the next song, gently bobbing his head to the beat.

….

"Come on guys." Bruce gestured to the guacamole, sitting untouched in the center of the table. "Avocados are good for you. Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, E and K, they're full of potassium."

"I don't care what's in it, it's green and is more seed than food." Tony reached for the sour cream - bypassing the green paste completely- and dumping a large spoonful onto his taco. "Sorry Brucie-bear."

"But it's fresh!"

Without missing a beat Peter yelled, "It's free shavacadoo," leaving everyone, the exception being Natasha, very confused. He just laughed. "Oh come on guys, don't tell me you haven't seen that vine?"

"What-What's a vine?" Steve looked at Peter as if he'd grown a second head. Bucky looked equally confused but remained silent.

"Oh no, no, no! Don't get him started. It'll nev-" Tony's attempt to switch the topic of conversation failed miserably as Friday began broadcasting a vine compilation per Peter's request.

"This is a vine compilation." Peter explained excitedly. "It's a whole bunch of different vines put together into one longer video. My friends and I sometimes watch vines if we're stressed or something because vines are funny. Well, they're usually funny, some are just stupid, but that makes them funnier. Not always but sometimes. Anyway, YouTube has- wait, do you guys know what YouTube is? No! Holy crap, I've gotta show you some other videos."

Rhodey snickered, leaning over to whisper in his best friend's ear, "good luck getting him to sleep tonight."

"Thanks." Tony rolled his eyes, attempting to look angry but failing. "The kid can talk for hours on end. And I don't even know what he's saying half the time."

"You love it." Rhodey nudged his shoulder. "You know you do."

"Yeah. I do."

…

"So Tony, how have you been?" Mrs. Marco crossed her legs and set her notepad on top. She sat patiently as her client collected his thoughts.

"Okay… all things considered." He ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. "The past week has been better."

"How so? What's made it better?"

Tony liked Mrs. Narco, she was calm and professional, but clearly cared about his well being. She'd been his therapist ever since Afghanistan and he hoped Peter would agree to see her as well.

"I don't… well, Peter opened up to me a little. I-I could tell it was hard for him but he did it. There was a lot of crying involved but I could never fault him for that."

Her smile was genuine. "I'm very glad you two have made a breakthrough in your communication." She jotted down a few notes before continuing. "Do you have any idea as to what caused this? What prompted Peter to open up."

"A nightmare. The kid has major PTSD and it usually comes out in the form of nightmares." He shifted in his seat and scratched the back of his neck. "The kid has… powers. Like, lots of them. He's one of the most powerful mutants I've ever seen. Only Thor and the Hulk could beat him in a fight."

Mrs. Marco's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She'd been told that Peter was a mutant, but not where he ranked in strength. She took a few more notes before gently prodding the billionaire to continue.

"Anyway, um… his parents. They were scientists, very smart and very resourceful. They dropped of the grid to work on a private project, just before Peter was born. Turns out-" he took a deep breath, "Peter was their project. Th-they tortured him. They hurt him all his life and made him believe he was worthless… just a fucking monster."

He didn't register the tears streaming down his cheeks until a tissue box was set in his lap. With a nod of thanks he blew his nose and dried his tears.

"It seems that the nightmares dig up bad memories, which is normally the case with someone that has gone through something traumatic. And in Peter's case, he's gone through multiple traumatic events. All of which he's kept to himself."

"Yes! He keeps everything in and suffers because he doesn't want to bother anyone."

"He internalizes everything in order to spare the people he cares about. He doesn't want to hurt anyone." She reached out and squeezed Tony's hand. "Just like you do."

"Yeah." A humorless chuckled escaped his lips. "Out of all the habits I have that I didn't want him to pick up on."

"He looks up to you, and he will follow your lead."

"So the less bad habits I have… means the less bad habits he'll pick up on?"

Mrs. Marco chuckled, an amused smile on her lips. "Sort of. But what I mean is, if you have good habits, such as talking through your problems and expressing yourself, Peter will pick up on that. It's about forming good, healthy ways of coping and then passing them on to your son."

"That… makes a ton of sense. But what about the nightmares? He hasn't slept a full night in weeks. And they seem to be getting worse."

"Dreams are a manifestation of everything we see, hear and experience throughout the day. It's our minds way of sorting through all of the information. Now that Peter is finally safe, and he recognizes this, his mind is pulling up all of the bad memories he's suppressed. He keeps coming up with the worst case scenarios because he's only ever been disappointed."

"So those memories are coming out in the form of nightmares and night terrors." Tony surmised, running the information through his brain.

"Exactly. And while these nightmares are causing problems," she paused, making eye contact with Tony, "they may be the key to helping Peter. He opened up to you after a particularly bad dream, the more he internalizes everything the sooner he will crack under the pressure. My advice to you, is that you encourage Peter to express himself. That way you know what's going on and you're instilling the habit of talking through your problems."

"You think he's going to break after another nightmare?" He was crying again. The thought of Peter suffering any longer physically hurt him. He'd do anything to help his boy, and sadly there was no On or Off switch when it came to psychological issues.

"It's possible. Just keep an eye on him, because sooner rather than later-"

"Shits gonna hit the fan." Tony smirked.

Mrs. Narco laughed. "I suppose. What does the team think?"

"They're worried too. And, on another note, random stuff has been getting moved around and everyone is blaming Clint. It's hilarious but I seriously don't know how Steve's favorite pair of running shoes ended up stuck to the ceiling."

"That is interesting." She laughed again and settled back in her plush chair. "Now tell me how you have been doing?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Why do you have the volume so loud?" Bucky asked as he took a seat on the couch beside Natasha. "And why are you watching the weather channel?"

She answered with another question and the quirk of an eyebrow. "Why do you read the newspaper?"

"Is this another old man joke?"

"Just answer the damn question Barnes."

"Geez, okay." He raised his hands in surrender. "I read it out of habit… and to stay informed I guess.'

"That's why I watch the weather," she nodded to the screen - which was forecasting heavy rains all across New York City, "I information that is up to date so I can be better prepared."

He shrugged, "makes sense. But that doesn't explain why it's so loud."

She turned the volume down and began channel surfing. "Those morons in the kitchen were in here arguing. I turned the volume up so I could hear over their stupidity, then they left."

"You threatened to kill them in their sleep, didn't you?"

She chuckled, a deadly smile gracing her lips. "Something like that."

"I better check on 'em before they start throwing punches." Buck mutter curses to himself as he made his way to the kitchen fully prepared to pull - what sounded like Sam, Clint and Scott - off each other.

Upon entering the kitchen he saw all three men standing in a circle arguing while Steve was just staring, bewildered, at his sketchpad on the table before him.

"What the Hell are you dumbasses arguing about. Didn't Natasha tell you to stop or she'd kill ya or somethin'?"

"She threatened to cut our balls of, actually." Clint stated, arms crossed as he glared at Sam. "And someone," he gestured to the Falcon, "is moving my favorite mugs around. One was in the laundry room and the others were spread throughout the gym!"

"Y'all delusional." Sam shoved Clint's hand away.

"My shoes keep getting moved too." Scott clearly wasn't annoyed but confused, scared almost. "I take my shoes off in the common room and when I come back they're in the bathroom or another room." He shook his head. "I must be going nuts or something.

"Well you're not supposed to leave your shoes lying around anyway." Tony stepped in and refilled his coffee, a snooty smile on his face. "And you," he pointed to the archer," leave your dirty mugs everywhere. It's gross and unsanitary."

"Well how do you explain my running shoes just disappearing?" Sam pointed accusingly at the billionaire. "Every time I get a new pair, they fucking disappear."

"How the Hell should I know?" Tony shrugged, slowly sipping his favorite drink. "Hey cap, ya asleep or something. Your idiot sidekick just cursed."

Sam sputtered indignantly while Steve remained passive. Tony rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers in Steve's face to get his attention. Once steely blue eyes met the billionaire's brown eyes, did Tony try again.

"What's up cap? You keep looking at that notepad like it'll fly away or something."

"It-it did."

"What?" The other super soldier sat down beside his old friend who looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Paper doesn't float or fly. Unless it's one of those little paper airplanes."

"B-but it did." He hesitantly poked his sketchpad, as if it would bite. "I left it here on the island while I went back to get my pencils… and when I came back it was floating."

"Floating?" Clint quirked an eyebrow and relaxed his posture, clearly not believing the man.

"Yes! I'm telling you the truth. There were no strings attached to it or anything."

"There was no one else in here at the time?"

"No!"

"Hey guys."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Peter appeared from behind Steve. At the boys quiet greeting the captain jumped out of his seat screaming. Everyone bust up laughing at the outburst.

Peter giggled but still felt bad about scaring his friend, albeit unintentionally. "Um… Steve, you okay? Sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's all good." He took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Where'd you come from? You just like… appeared?"

"From the lab," he shrugged, "I thought we could all watch a movie since there's no missions or anything crazy going on. Almost everyone's here so…" he trailed off, shuffling back and forth nervously with his head tilted to the side, like a puppy eagerly waiting for a command.

Damn that kid was adorable.

Team movie night was a weekly thing for the avengers. Whichever day was less busy and if most of the team was home, they'd all congregate in the common room and watch movies together. It was relaxing and helped strengthen the teams already unbreakable bond.

And though no one admitted it, seeing Peter pass out on whoever happened to be next to him - though it was usually Tony - was incredibly adorable. The kid even purred due to his spider DNA.

"That sounds like a great idea." Natasha took that time to enter. She stayed beside Peter and ran methodical fingers through his hair - knowing just how much the boy loved it. Her other arm wrapping around his thin waist to pull him closer. She coed, "my little spider."

Peter blushed at her praise and leaned into her side, allowing her to guide him away from the others and back into the common room. She sat on the loveseat to the left of the large flatscreen tv and pulled Peter back until he was tucked up against her, his legs across her lap and his head against her shoulder.

"What would you like to watch my ребенок паук?" (Baby spider) She asked softly as the others trickled in, various soft drinks and snack foods in their hands.

Each hero took a seat on one of the various chairs or sofas around the tv. Bucky and Steve sat together at one end of the large wrap around couch while Clint and Scott - who were already munching down over buttered popcorn - took the other end. Bruce pulled a chair up so he was beside Natasha, while Sam laid on the floor directly in front of the big screen. Tony chose to occupy his personal chair - only he and Peter were allowed to sit on it, everyone else was forbidden from even touching it - so he could be closer to Peter.

The mechanic tossed a couple of Power bars onto Peter's lap along with a king sized chocolate bar and a water. Silently nodding his head towards the food, urging the boy to eat.

Tony, along with most of the team, had realized very early on - long before Peter moved in - that he had the habit of not asking for the things he needed or wanted. Even things as simple and important as food. His guilt and anxiety over bothering someone and simply his good nature made him refrain from expressing his needs in fear of putting someone else out. So instead, he would suffer.

They were desperately trying to get some weight on him. And while they were making progress, it was slow going. Peter's metabolism was just too fast and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Everything Peter did - even little everyday things like brushing his teeth, studying or walking - burned up every calorie he consumed. But they'd get there, all in good time.

"Um well…" Peter tensed slightly, his gaze set on the dark cumulonimbus clouds steadily approaching, "what-whatever you want Tasha"

"A nice documentary then." She clicked through the channels until she reached the nature channel, a Planet Earth documentary playing.

"Oh come on!" Clint whined like a toddler who wasn't getting his way. "This is boring. What about the exorcist or Pirates of the Caribbean or just… something other than this."

"Clinton, I swear to God I will take away your ability to reproduce." Natasha flashed him a devilish grin. The archer pouted but sat back and watched the show.

The first two episodes were uneventful, the group of heroes simply contend to just relax with one another. Peter was still seated next to Natasha, her hands never ceasing their amiable stroking of Peter's soft curls.

What concerned Tony though was that every once in a while Peter would tense and flinch back at times. He'd turn his shoulders in and push his head back against Natasha's shoulder and whimper softly. He was so quiet in fact, that no one, save for Natasha and Tony - who were directly beside him - noticed his distress. With a subtle nod to each other, the spy maneuvered Peter until he was sitting upright and into the billionaire's waiting arms.

Strong, calloused hands took place of soft delicate ones as they held they young hero close. The slight rocking motion and Tony's warmth was enough to lull him to sleep. It was peaceful. Until the storm finally hit.

Peter jolted upright with a cry of pain, hands firmly clasped over his ears and his eyes scrunched shut.

Within seconds, Friday had the tv off and had raised the lights slightly and each hero sat at attention. Tony immediately tried to soothe the shaking child in his arms but another clap of thunder had Peter in tears.

"Here." Bruce appeared with a pair of sound canceling headphones and light canceling sunglasses which Tony took without hesitation and a sincere thanks to his friend.

"It's okay bud." Tony cooed as he attempted to pry Peter's hands away from his ears. "Easy Underoos," He internally cringed at the blood coating the tips of Peter's fingernails, "just trying to help here."

After the headphones and sunglasses were in place the tension in Peter's shoulders and back immediately fell away. Sighing in relief Peter slumped back against Tony, his exhaustion taking over once more.

"You could hear the storm miles away couldn't you?" Bruce looked at the teen sympathetically.

It was impossible to block out everything he could see and hear, and Bruce had helped design the gear Peter was wearing, so he knew Peter could hear and see him.

The boy in question nodded once but didn't remove himself from his position against his mentor.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wasn't too bad a first. I could handle it." He shrugged minutely, "wasn't a big deal."

"It is though." Scott insisted. He kept his voice low to match Bruce's. "Your health and well-being is important to us Pete."

"Sorry."

"Quiet spiderling." Tony settled back against his special chair with Peter curled up in his lap. He rested his chin atop Peter's curls and began humming an old Italian lullaby his mother had once sung for him as a child.

…

"You sure he's asleep?" Scott asked as the billionaire entered the room.

"Yep. Out like a light or whatever the hell people go on about." Tony waved his hand dismissively and collapsed back onto his chair with a heavy sigh.

Natasha hummed thoughtfully, "I think it's time we all went to bed. It's getting late." She stood and stretched her nimble body then proceeded to pinch Tony's socked foot.

"Ow! Wha-what the fuck Romanoff?"

"Get up. Your going to sleep too."

"Oh come on you're not my mo-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence Stark." She snarled. "And I only pity your mother. Having to have to put up with Howard and your stunts."

"What'd you want me to do," Tony quickly moved until he was standing at the elevator, far from Natasha's reach, "send her a card?"

"Yes."

…

"Boss." Friday's voice roused her creator who was tangled up in his blanket, sleeping deeply. "Boss.

"What's go'n on Fri?" Tony slurred, burying his face deeper into his pillows.

"It appears that Peter is having a nightmare and is in distress."

At this, Tony was up in seconds, ripping his warm blankets off and stumbling out his bedroom door towards Peter's that was just across from his. He could hear the terrified screams through the door.

"Peter?" Tony rushed over to his son who was thrashing around as if trying to escape something.

"Please… please stop. Do-don't!" Peter cried out, curling in on himself. "M-mom please."

Tony couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Peter's shoulders and pinned him down so he wouldn't accidentally hit him with his super strength. "Wake up Peter. It's just a dream, you need to wake up!"

"No, no, no, no." Peter groaned, his back arching and his fists clenched.

Tony watched in stunned silence as Peter's skin went from his usual pale complexion to a smokey grey. His curly locks went from honey brown to coal black and his fangs protruded from their retracted position beside his canines.

"Shit." Tony knew what was happening though he'd never seen it in person. Peter was transforming into the Phantom spider. "Okay um…" he backed away when a low, pained growl escaped Peter, "shit… Friday?"

"Yes Boss." There was a sense of concern and urgency in her voice he'd only ever heard when Peter was involved.

"Alert the team. Initiate the Convergence alarm."

"On it Boss."

"Thanks Fr-"

A deep growl cut the billionaire short. He turned and was face to face with Peter now fully transformed into the Phantom spider. Large black eyes, with a ring of gold where his irises should be, stared back at him.

"Easy spiderling." He slowly raised his hands in surrender, making sure to keep his voice, as well as his body steady. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Peter cocked his head to the side, his expression unreadable. He was on high alert but seemed hesitant to attack. And Tony was incredibly lucky he hadn't been torn to shreds already.

"You recognize me? I'm Tony." Peter continued to stare. Crouched on the bed completely still. Tony hesitated before continuing but decided it was best to be honest if he wanted Peter to trust him. "I'm your dad."

Recognition blazed through Peter's eyes and Tony thought he'd done good by telling the truth, that he had said the right thing. Then, with a single jump, Peter launched himself onto the ceiling and disappeared into the vents.


	6. Chapter 6

"What the hell is going on?" Natasha screamed. "Why is the convergence alarm going off?" She cocked her gun as she wrapped her bathrobe tighter around herself, huffing indignantly - she hated being woken up in the middle of the night, three a.m to be specific. Fighting in pajamas was not very becoming or dignifying for that matter. "What did you do Stark?"

She turned to the billionaire as the rest of their teammates joined them in the common room on floor eighty six - that was the common room the team used most. It truly was a comical sight and Tony might have laughed under different circumstances. Everyone held some form of weaponry but they were all drowsy looking and clad in sleep wear.

Clint - his eyes barely open jumping around in bird covered pajamas - notched an arrow and aimed it around randomly. Steve had his shield at the ready with Bucky right beside him, brandishing a large knife. Sam pushed Clint's bow down after he aimed it at Scott who was practically asleep leaning against Rhodey.

"Woah, woah, woah, and woah!" Tony waved his hands placatingly in an attempt to get the team settled. "No need for weapons. Put them away guys. Chill for a bit." The team was clearly confused and frustrated but did as they were told and put their weapons aside.

"What's happening Tony?" Steve asked. "Are the avengers needed?"

"No capsicle, the call to assemble didn't sound, the convergence alarm did." Tony snapped sarcastically.

"No shit Sherlock." Clint called from the kitchen as he raided the fridge.

Bucky huffed. "How are you eating at a time like this?" Clint just shrugged and continued his search for food.

"Anyway," Steve brought everyone's attention to the issue at hand, "this is a team matter." He looked back to the billionaire. "What's going on?

"And where is Peter?" Natasha's glare could've burned through his soul.

"Yeah. The little brat would be swinging around the room by now talking non-stop."

Tony jabbed his finger into the Falcons chest, "first off, he's not a brat. Second, only I get to call him that." Sam just rolled his eyes. "And he's the reason I had Friday sound the alarm. He had a nightmare…" he sighed, "like… a really bad one. I tried to calm him down but he freaked out and darted up into the vents." The billionaire sounded incredibly guilty. The fact that he couldn't even help his son with PTSD made him feel so useless. He knew what it was like to live with a damaged mind. The nights were always the worst. "I Don't know where he is."

"We'll find him Tony." Clint clapped his friend on the shoulder as he took a bite of his peanut butter sandwich. "Friday can just scan the avengers floors." He spoke through a mouth full of peanut butter. "No problemo."

"That actually won't work." Bruce chimed in quietly, his docile personality unaffected by the rude awakening. "Peter can transform, into what Tony and I, have decided to call the phantom spider."

Natasha's eyebrows shot up in a rare display of surprise, the others had similar reactions.

"He still looks like Peter… for the most part." Bruce continued, not sure how to explain. "He just… he- you'll see for yourself. I can't really explain it."

"Why didn't he say anything?" Bucky asked, hurt evident in his voice. "Doesn't he trust us?" "No, it's not that. He doesn't really like that he has this ability. That's all." Tony took a seat on the couch facing away from the group. "It scares him. He told me that it's like he's become some monster. No matter what Bruce and I said it's just a sore topic for him."

"Let's use the Hulk as an example." Bruce attempted to explain. "I can turn into the Hulk at will, but the other guy usually comes out as a defense mechanism. Like if I'm in danger or something really crazy's going on. It's the same thing with Peter and the phantom spider. He can control his transformation but because he was having a very severe night terror, the phantom spider activated so to speak, as a defense mechanism against what he was seeing in his dreams."

"Okay, so you're telling us there's a super charged Spider-Man crawling around the compound, who could lash out violently because he's not fully aware of where he is and who we are, and is going off of basic instincts." Steve summed, "and you don't know where he is, just that he's still somewhere on the avengers floors because of the lockdown."

"Yes."

"Well that's super helpful." Rhodey's voice dripped sarcasm. "How're we gonna calm him down?"

"Oh and uh…" Tony chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Peter has retractable fangs with temporary paralysis venom and can flawlessly camouflage. So I'm ninety eight percent sure he'll have those abilities as the phantom spider as well."

"Wait a sec, hold up." Sam held up the time out gesture. "The spider kid has fangs, venom and can fucking turn invisible?"

Steve sighed. "Language."

"He's been able to do those things for quite a while now." Bruce mumbled, taking a step back. "It's just never come up."

"You both knew?" Natasha pulled a knife from somewhere on her person and waved it towards both scientists. Their unease was satisfying. "From now on there is going to be better, more open communication between the team. But right now," she looked to everyone as she continued, "we need to find Peter."

"I agree." Thor boomed, his voice as boisterous as ever. "Young Peter is afraid and should not be left to suffer."

"When the Hell did you get here?" Bucky peered behind the God's shoulder. "And who the Fuck is that guy?"

"Oh my- language."

"Not now Stevie."

"We have just arrived using your ascending box." He gestured to the elevator. "This is my friend Korg." The God patted his rock friend's shoulder and grinned. "I have been meaning to introduce you. And until you visit the new Asgard and meet Valkyrie, Heimdall and my people, I thought I could bring one here."

"At least it's not Loki." Clint muttered under his breath.

"Great. The more the merrier." Tony sighed impatiently as he began to pace, "now can we please look for my kid. I don't want him to get hurt."

"Okay." Steve stood tall and stood in his captain stance, taking on his leadership role as he addressed his team and gave out orders. "Natasha and Scott, you two start from the top, just below the Penthouse and work your way down. Bucky and Sam, you two check the gym. Rhodey, Tony, you check the garage and work your way up from there. Clint, climb into the vents and see if you can locate Peter that way. I'll check the rest of the common areas with Thor and..."

"Korg. Ready to be off assistance." The alien chirped, waving to the captain. "That's me."

"Alright." He turned to Bruce who continued to fidget nervously. "I want you to stay here. See if he comes down himself."

The heroes split into their respective pairs and headed off to search for their spider; weapons discarded on the kitchen island. They had their comms turned on for when Peter was found or if someone needed back. Hopefully it would be the former.

Clint was beyond thrilled he'd been assigned the vents. Crawling through them was one of his hobbies anyway. But his concern for peter out weighed his excitement. That kid was so important to him and he did not want to fight, none of them did.

"So how's the new Asgard coming along?" Steve asked as he and his two alien comrades went through the various common rooms. "I've heard that Norway is very beautiful. Nice views."

"It truly is a lovely place." Thor agreed, a fondness in his voice as he recalled his new home. "My people are very happy there. The animals we've brought with us are also doing well. Particularly the Pegasi, they love the open plains ."

"Who takes over for you when you're gone?" He completely bypassed the fact that Thor brought Pegasi and multiple other alien creatures to Earth. Not much surprised him at this point.

"Heimdall is the ever present guardian of my home, but Loki usually takes charge." Steve's uneasy look at the mention of the god of mischief prompted Thor to continue. "He has changed. Truly my friend. He has proved himself, earning the trust of me and my people."

"I'll have to take your word for it." Steve closed the door to the rec-room and the trio headed off to check the remaining common rooms.

…..

"I can't believe I got stuck with Sigmund Freud." Bucky grumbled as he and Sam headed out of the spiderless gym.

"You're such an asshole."

"No 'm not."

"Right." Sam's eyes nearly rolled back into his skull. "And I'm not black."

"Your black, and an asshole."

"Oh screw you man."

The two we're about to start throwing punches when Bucky heard a shuffling noise coming from the ceiling. It was faint, barely audible, but his enhanced senses picked up on the slight disturbance.

"Did you hear that?" Bucky stepped back, trying to pinpoint where the noise was coming from.

"No man. What ar-"

"Shut up." Bucky hissed, having started to follow the noise down the hall. "Guys, I hear him in the vents." He pressed the comm in his ear as he spoke.

"Are you in the gym?" Tony's voice crackled through the earpiece, his voice uncharacteristically strained. "Did you see Peter?"

"We just finished searching. There was no sign of him."

"Clint." Natasha

"Clint what's your position?" Steve asked.

"Somewhere near the gym. I just finished the lower levels and I'm working my way up." A loud clang from the ventilation to his left caused the archer to pause and go silent.

"I heard that one." Sam stood beside Bucky, both looking up at the ceiling. "Clint," he whispered, see anything?"

"No I-" he abruptly cut himself off, leaving the entire team in suspense. "There's something… I think ju-"

A loud humanoid growl echoed throughout the vents across the comms, causing the team to flinch. There were about two moments of silence before Clint began screaming.

"Clint! Report." Steve tried to talk over the yelling and banging. "What's happening?"

"He tried to fucking bite me! Oh my God!"

"Try to lead him back to the common room. Get him out of the vents."

"I'll try but I- ow! Ow!" More banging was heard as Clint presumably retreated.

"Get to the common room, now!"

Whenever Steve gave an order, the team usually listened. The commands were often accompanied by jokes and sarcasm, even during battles, but not this time.

The stampede of heroes entered the room - practically falling over each other in their haste - as Clint dropped down from the ceiling. The spy was breathing heavily, clutching his left bicep, his fingers coated in red.

"Is it deep?" Natasha helped him up, her eyes scanning every inch of the room as she walked Clint over to the couch.

"No… no." Clint removed his hand to reveal three shallow cuts down the length of his bicep. They were still bleeding, but as Bruce begin cleaning and dressing the wounds he determined the cuts to be superficial. Clint looked to the stressed billionaire, hesitant to address him. "He didn't mean it Tony. I backed him into a corner which definitely scared him."

"I know. I know." Tony paced back and forth, hands pulling at his hair in frustration. "You didn't do anything wrong. But Peter's gonna feel so bad… you know he is." He cried out in frustration, tears threatening to spill over onto his cheeks. "God damn it."

"Oh shit! Scott…" Bucky took a step forward, hand outstretched towards the man seated at the kitchen island. "Don't move a muscle."

All eyes went to Scott, or more accurately the figure crouched behind him. Scott was doing his absolute best to remain seated and not have a mental breakdown. Bucky's warning tone was enough to make anyone listen, but what forced him to sit absolutely still was the soft puffs of air hitting blowing past his ear. Slowly, his apprehension mounting, he turned around and screamed.

"No-" Tony darted forward to grab his son, but Peter was too fast. He was there one second and gone the next, he turned invisible right before their eyes. "You scared him you idiot!" Tony screamed, frantically waving his arms around at nothing in hopes of finding Peter.

"There is the man of spiders!" Thor pointed towards one of the floor to ceiling windows.

Peter was sticking to the flawlessly smooth glass crouched down low. His eyes were blown wide and it was clear he was on the verge of hyperventilating. His claws etched little white lines into the glass and his fangs protruded from his mouth. He looked menacing, with claws, fangs, unnaturally colored skin and big black eyes, and would have scared anyone else, but all the avengers could see was Peter. All Tony and Natasha could see was their little boy. And he was terrified.

Natasha started forward without hesitation but Tony stopped her. He squeezed her shoulder in reassurance before stepping forward.

"Hey bud." Tony managed to get within five feet before Peter bared his fangs and hissed, a clear warning to stay back. He raised his hands in surrender and slowly lowered himself into a kneeling position. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Peter eyed him skeptically then turned his gaze towards the others still gathered in the center of the room. Their breaths caught when his mesmerizing eyes fell on them.

"I'm not-" Tony faltered, unsure if he should mention Richard or Mary. He didn't want to induce a panic attack or set Peter off. But with how Peter was acting; skittish, big doe eyes flitting from object to object, never letting his guard down; Tony knew it had something to do with his past. "I am not Mary... or Richard Parker. They aren't here Peter, your parents are gone."

Peter openly reacted to this information; his posture straightened and the tension he was previously holding in his shoulders seemed to melt away.

"Come on down," he chuckled as the boy's expression went from one of aggression to… what looked like hopeful. "You know me?" Peter nodded. "You know them?" Tony gestured to their teammates. Once again peter nodded. "Then what are you waiting for? You're safe."

"But you're not."

Tony nearly fell back on his ass, completely taken aback by Peter's words and that he spoke at all. The others seemed surprised too, but it was Bruce who understood the boy's unnerving statement and saw it for what it was; concern.

"You aren't going to hurt us Peter. What happened with Clint was just self defense, you were afraid and reacted naturally. You're still Peter… our Peter. And you could never hurt us."

The teen looked from one family member to the next, his gaze falling back to his father figure knelt on the floor with his arms wide open.

Those same arms wrapped around him and held him close the moment he fell into them.


	7. Chapter 7

"I still can't believe you conveniently forgot to tell us that the kid could paralyze us and turn invisible." Clint shot a glare towards Bruce and Tony. "I mean… think of all the pranks we could've pulled this past year! Now we've got a late start."

"Don't worry bird brain," Bucky smirked, "I'm sure Peter will gladly help you with your childish pranking."

Clint blew a raspberry at a very unamused super soldier. "Who said he hasn't helped me already? You're just jealous that I'm more creative than you."

"Will you two shut up." Tony hissed angrily, "you're going to wake him and I just got him to fall asleep." He had his arms wrapped around the boy in his lap protectively, one hand threading through the still jet black curls. Every time Peter whimpered or moved he held his breath, afraid the boy would wake up.

It took two hours to find him, over an hour to convince him he wasn't a threat and to allow the team to come close, and yet another hour of hair playing and quietly singing Italian lullabies to put him to sleep. It was currently eight a.m. Peter was curled up on Tony's lap, tightly clinging to the mans shirt. The rest of the team was spread out across the room fast asleep after such an eventful night.

"I'm glad you're okay bud. You really had me scared for a while." Tony's fingers tenderly worked their way through Peter's fluffy hair, gently combing out little tangles as they went. Peter was purring again. The soft vibrations emanating from within the teens chest were soothing to the engineer, each breath a reminder that Peter was alive and well, tucked safely in his arms.

"Aw, daddy Stark and baby Stark." Clint cooed, much to Tony's annoyance. "Friday, you getting this?"

"My cameras are always on Mr. Barton." Friday replied, her voice quieter than normal do to the sleeping inhabitants of the room. But the sass was easily detectable. "But to answer your question, yes, I have saved over thirty minutes of footage to Boss's personal server. Boss will determine which images and pieces of footage to save and which file they belong to at a later date."

"Are you creating a scrapbook?" Clint gasped, feigning surprise.

Bucky laughed at Clint's attempt at annoying the billionaire. Apparently it worked too, not ten seconds later Tony shooed the two out of the room.

"Okay that's it. Get out." Tony ordered, voice low but stern. "If you can't shut up then leave before I have a suit throw you out."

"Oh come o-"

"Now Legolas."

The two left without anymore complaints from Clint. Tony wasn't kidding about sending a suit - he'd done it before.

Once the two joker's were out of earshot Tony relaxed, no longer worried they would disturb Peter. He continued to thread his fingers through the curly hair tickling his chin, warmth building in his chest when Peter leaned into the touch, his grip tightening on the mechanic's shirt.

It was such a calm, serene moment. It was the first time in the billionaire's life that he felt such love and peace. Never had he cared about someone as much as Peter, someone he could always trust.

"You really know how to work your way into someone's heart, don't you Underoos? Melted this old man's iron heart." He looked down at the small figure tucked up against him. Of course Peter didn't say anything, he just continued to purr, letting out small puffs of air, his chest gently rising and falling. "God kid," he chuckled, a fond smile on his lips, "you're making me go all soft." He brushed his thumb against Peter's cheekbone, content to watch his son sleep.

The peaceful moment was interrupted when the elevator doors opened. The sound of the doors sliding opening and then closing wouldn't have been detectable to anyone else, but the sound was blaring to Peter's sensitive ears.

Peter's eyes snapped open, a low growl building within his chest. Before Tony had the chance to blink he was gone, blending into the background flawlessly. The billionaire sat back in defeat.

"Hey Boss." Happy greeted as he entered. He was wearing his usual suit with his hair combed back. "I know it's barely nine, so sorry 'bout that. But I have papers from Pepper for you to sign, some fundraiser stuff." he held up the small file he was holding and set it on the coffee table, "I wanted to…" he trailed off as he surveyed the room and took note of the avengers - most of which were now starting to wake - spread throughout. He smirked, "you guys have a party or somethin' ?"

"No. We did not have a party." Tony shot his bodyguard a glare. He ran a hand down his tired face and stood, his back popping from having sat in the same position for so long. He gestured for Happy to follow as he headed for the kitchen. Coffee sounded perfect right about now.

Happy stood to the side as his boss went through the motions of making the coffee, clearly just going through the motions. By the time the coffee was finished brewing - about ten minutes later - the rest of the team had joined them.

"Is it a bad time?" Happy asked. Judging by how tired everyone seemed to be and the fact that the ever-stoic Black Widow looked like she'd been crying, it wasn't hard to piece together that they'd had a rough night.

A horrible thought struck him, brought on by the other reason he'd stopped in before his shift actually started. And that reason was Peter.

Being Tony's personal bodyguard - not that iron man needed a one - head of security for S.I and a long time friend gave him access to floor eighty six. The team congregated to this floor most often and there was no sensitive data or weapons regarding avengers business. Having no need, he never really came to the avengers floor; until Peter started coming over to do homework or train or work in the labs. Then Happy started coming up to check in, using that as an excuse to check on the kid.

"Please tell me nothing happened to the kid." His tone and body language resembled Tony's from the previous night; anxious, concerned and fearful. When no one responded, the head of security immediately thought the worst. "Oh my God. What...what happened? I can help I-"

"Easy Hap," Tony stopped him before he worked himself up any further, "there was an incident last night, but Peter's fine. We just gotta find him."

"What d'ya mean?"

"Spiderling can turn invisible." Bucky smirked at the bodyguard's stunned expression. "Has venom too."

"Don't forget the claws." Clint added, words scrambled because of the half chewed bagel he was eating. He passed the cream cheese over to Steve along with the remaining five bagels. "Last night was pretty interesting."

"What the Hell d'ya mean he has claws?" Happy looked at Tony incredulously. "Since when has he had gangs? I drive that kid around, you gotta tell me this stuff!"

"None of that information is new." Tony shrugged nonchalantly, somewhat amused by Happy's disheveled state - the man usually remained stone faced under any and every circumstance.

"I'm that kid's bodyguard. It's my job to watch out for him!" He pointed at Tony accusingly, "you gave me that job."

"Sounds like you've got a soft spot for him." The billionaire quirked an eyebrow. The billionaire's off hand gesture and sarcasm ticked Happy off even more.

"I'd literally die for that kid and you know it."

"Aw, you do care."

Happy spun around so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. Right behind him, peering up at him with big doe eyes was Peter. Except he didn't look any differently than he normally would. Still skinny, pale skin and hazel colored eyes. No claws or fangs to be seen.

Peter tilted his head, the most innocent look on his face. "You look confused."

Tony snorted into his hand, doing his absolute best not to crack up. The look on Happy's face was absolutely priceless. Clint, Scott and Bucky cackled like hens, not putting much effort into hiding their amusement. The rest of the team just smirked.

"Wh- but they… you aren't…" he waved his hands in front of Peter, gesturing to his entire body, "you don't look any different?"

"Why would I?" Peter shrugged, his mannerisms almost identical to Tony's.

"Okay I'm done." Happy groaned, tossing his hands up in defeat. He pressed the elevator key with one hand and pointed at Tony with the other. "Don't forget to sign those papers. And remember that you gave me a week off this coming month. I deserve it, after working with you two geniuses." He gestured to the smirking billionaire and vigilante. His eye roll went unnoticed as the elevator doors closed.

Peter's smile fell as he turned to his team, his guilt taking over. "I'm really sorry about last night. I-I didn't mean to freak out and I'm sorry that I-"

"Easy son." Steve smiled warmly. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"It's okay Pete." Scott agreed. "Everyone's fine."

"But I-"

"Last night was a great learning experience for us young Peter." Thor got up and squeezed the teen's shoulder, his big hand surprisingly gentle. The god knelt down so he was at eye level with Peter. "You are a very important part of our family. We care for you and did not want any harm to befall you. Everything is alright and we are grateful for that."

And if Peter wasn't crying before, he definitely was now. Fat teardrops slid down his cheeks, his chest tightening as he fought off sobs. His team… his family, was watching him nodding their heads in agreement to Thor's statement, loving smiles adorning their faces.

"Come're kiddo." Tony opened his arms.

Peter needed no more prompting. He nearly knocked Tony over when the two collided, the billionaire taking a step back to steady himself. Peter clung to Tony, his hands grappling at the back of his shirt as if he were afraid the man would disappear.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he wept, "I'm so-sorry."

"I'm gonna ban that word. I swear." Tony murmured into Peter's honey-brown hair. "I can do it too. I've got tons of money.

"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." Peter untucked himself so his chin rested on Tony's sternum. His big glistening eyes peering up at the man, making his heart melt once more.

"True," he mused, "but if I can't do that… I'll just have to tickle you instead."

Peter was not expecting that to say the least. He also wasn't expecting his mentor turned father-figure to start poking his ribs and grab him under the arms, grinning like a madman.

"Wait!" Peter tried to get away but the fingers brushing over his ribs were debilitating.

"No can do Underoos. Point break," he nodded to Thor, who was wearing an equally large shit-eating grin, "hold him down for me."

"Thor don't! Tony," he whined, "I'm not five." Peter wriggled against Thor's muscular arms. He put up a good fight, but Thor was one of the few superheroes stronger than him. So when Tony, along with Clint and Scott started to poke his belly and tickle his armpits, there wasn't much he could do.

"St-stop. No fa-fair!" Peter gasped for breath as he twisted to avoid the hands of his attackers.

"All's fair in love and war." Clint laughed.

After another two minutes of torture the tickling stopped, leaving Peter a giggling mess on the floor.

"Okay short-stack," It took absolutely no effort for him to scoop the teen up and sit him down with the others. It also took little prompting to get him to eat.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" Natasha set a plate full of bagels in front of him which he accepted gratefully.

"Not much." He took a huge bite and chewed thoughtfully. "I remember running up into the vents and then getting caught by someone, then I was back in the living room with all you guys. After that it's just a blur."

"S'okay." Clint made sure to keep the gauze on his arm covered. There was no need for Peter to feel guilty over nothing. "It was honestly amazing to watch you turn invisible."

"Oh my god." Scott gasped. "You're the one that's been moving my waffles around in the morning. And my shoes!"

"And stealing my damn sandwiches!" Bucky huffed, pouting like a toddler.

"Dude," Sam groaned, "what the hell?"

Peter just smirked as he bit into his tenth blueberry bagel slathered in whipped cream cheese.

Tony mirrored his protegé's mischievous expression. Needless to say, he was very proud of the teen.

"Are you two just realizing that now?" Natasha asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. The two men in question simply shrugged. "Seriously?"

"Hey," Scott attempted to defend himself, "there was a lot of crazy shit going on last night. You can't blame us for not realizing that."

Rhodey scuffed, "you're both idiots."

"Why'd ya mess with our shit?" Clint tried to be stern, but there was no malice in his voice, only curiosity and amusement. "I mean, it was pretty good. And from now on," he leaned forward so he was closer to Peter and whispered like he was telling a secret, "you're helping me with pranks from now on."

"Okay." Peter whispered back. Playing along and acting like the others weren't sitting right there listening.

"I want in on that." Scott demanded.

Clint tutted, "no can do tic tac. Spider boy's and exclusive member of the killer pranks squad."

"Oh come on!"

"I better not wake up covered in whipped cream or anything." Bruce huffed quietly. He pointed his fork at the archer, the strawberry on the end nearly falling off. "Twice was enough."

"Third Times the charm."

"Anyway," Steve shot Clint a look that clearly said "shut up and don't start anything" and brought the conversation back to the previous question, "why did you mess with us?"

"Because they were doing stuff Tony told 'em not to. I also just wanted to mess with Sam."

Sam huffed indignantly but said billionaire perked up at the response. That sweet, innocent kid pulled all those stunts because his teammates were disobeying him. Peter always stood up for him, no matter what. He beamed at the kid, knowing he could always rely on him.


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay guys," Tony addressed the team after they'd all finished eating and he was satisfied with the amount Peter ate, "get dressed, shower or whatever," he waved his hand around in a vague gesture, "then once you're done meet back here." He tapped the large kitchen island, its surface incredibly shiny after being thoroughly cleaned. "We've gotta talk about last night. Korg..." he turned to the large alien, "why don't you hang out in the gym. I'll send Thor down later to get you."

"Sure thing. I'll just be patiently waiting, clean the weapons maybe. Everything was so dirty back on Siccar. I mean, clean up after yourselves."

"Uh sure, whatever you just said." He turned to Peter who was shifting uncomfortably under everyone's gaze, his eyes fixed on the floor. Voice gentle and calm - in a loving tone reserved only for Peter - he addressed the boy. "I need you to tell us what your nightmare was about." Everyone noticed when he flinched. "If it was so bad, that you're body went into defense mode, then you gotta talk to us bud.

"I… um…"

At first, Tony thought he would refuse or close himself off like he did after a particularly bad nightmare. That he'd withdraw so far into himself that it would be days before he was back to his usual talkative self. But after a moment of thought, he conceded. Nodding slowly, numbly, his whole body tense and his chest aching at the mere thought of rehashing one of his worst nightmares.

"Thanks bud." Tony ruffled his hair playfully. "Don't worry. Everything'll be okay."

…

"So first… I um… I guess I'll explain what my dream was about." Peter spared a glance at his teammates - now dressed and fully coherent - sitting in a semicircle around the room, all eyes on him. He pulled his sleeves down over his hands and fiddled with the soft fabric, a nervous habit.

"That sounds like a good place to start." Tony assured, a pained smile on his lips. He draped his arm over Peter's thin shoulders knowing the physical reassurance would help ease the boy's nerves. "Whenever you're ready bud."

Peter nodded, a determined look sparking in his eyes. "The first time I transformed into the… what'd you guys call it, the phantom spider? Yeah that. Um, the first time I transformed was about a year after I got bitten by the radioactive spider… which my parents created. They ran tests… experiments… on me." His voice wavered and his eyes welled up with tears. The arm around him tightened as he began to shudder. "It was awful." He quickly wiped the tears flowing tears away, doing his best to ignore the horrified looks of his teammates. "After a really bad day, they had one of the guys pu-punish me. I don't know who they were, but my parents… they hired a couple guys to-to restrain me and to d-deal out punishments."

Natasha looked absolutely murderous. The rage and pure hatred she felt towards May was nothing compared to the tempest of loathing brewing inside her. The others didn't look or feel much different.

Bucky was squeezing Steve's hand so tightly it nearly broke while the armrest Thor was using completely splintered in his grasp.

Green tinted most of Bruce's pale skin, creeping up his neck and onto his face. It took him several minutes of deep breathing to calm himself. He was shaking and out of breath, but he managed to hold back the Hulk.

With a gentle nudge from Tony, Peter continued, his reticent voice catching on choked sobs. "That day… after so many t-tests… I fought back. One of the men was-was sent to beat me… because I… because I didn't listen. I don't remember everything, but one minute I-I was one the floor get-getting whipped… and the next I was…" his entire body went rigid, his eyes glazed over like he wasn't really there.

"Peter." Tony cupped Peter's chin and lifted his head so the two were face to face. "Bud, if you need to stop ju-"

"I killed him."

"What?" Steve barely caught the - almost inaudible- words. Tony's head jerked back in shock at the confession. He immediately regretted his movements when Peter shied away from him, his eyes filled with hurt.

"I killed him." He repeated, louder this time, tears streaming down his face. "I swear I didn't mean to." He pulled back, wrapping his arms around his waist and curled into himself. Pleading, "I swear I didn't. I swear. His neck, chest… everywhere… there was… so much blood."

Immediately, Tony wrapped his son up in a tight hug and pulled him tightly to his chest. He rocked back and forth, threading his fingers through Peter's hair and mumbling soft reassurances in a desperate attempt to calm the traumatized teen in his arms.

"I was six."

"God kiddo," his heart felt like it'd been shattered, "I'd take all of your pain if I could." Peter just continued to sob. "I'm so fucking sorry."

He desperately looked to his teammates, their hearts breaking just as much as his. The genius, billionaire, philanthropist was at a loss. No amount of money or brain power could wash away all the pain and sadness Peter felt. He felt so helpless, so powerless, and it was horrible.

"That's why you ran from us." Clint wiped the traitorous tears from his cheeks. "You didn't want to hurt us."

Peter nodded against Tony's chest. He sniffled and peeked his head out to look at the archer, his hands still firmly gripping his father figures shirt.

"Damn kid… I don't-" Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose and blinked the wetness out of his eyes. "How are you so good?"

"Hm?" Once again, Peter resembled a kicked puppy.

"You lived with psychopaths your entire life and got fucking tortured! But you're the nicest fucking person ever."

"Well, to be fair, I did destroy all of my parents research and any information they had on me or the spider." He shrugged, wiping away his remaining tears and sat up so he was leaning against Tony. "Their whole house really."

"How?" Scott wondered.

"They were out to get their passports. And I managed to break into the lab. So I built a couple bombs and set everything on fire."

"Holy shit!" Clint couldn't help the praise falling from his mouth. "That's amazing! You little freaking genius."

Peter blushed, a small chuckle escaping him.

"You moved in with your aunt and uncle soon after?" Tony brushed his bangs back.

"Yeah. 'Bout two days later."

"Does any of this prompt you to see Mrs. Marco?" He pressed a kiss to Peter's forehead. "She's great. Trust me, it'll help."

"Okay." He slumped back against the man holding him, thoroughly worn out from last nights durbackle and that morning's discussion. Absentmindedly, he traced the circular indent in Tony's chest, his fingers barely grazing the skin where the Arc reactor used to be.

If it were anyone else, Ironman would have ripped their hands off and shoved them up their ass; but not Peter. No, he was allowed to touch him, sit in his special chair, work in his personal lab, and so much more. Peter was always welcome within his carefully constructed walls.


	9. Chapter 9

Rubble, cement and blood. It was all around him, crushing his lungs and muffling his cries. He was trapped and no one would find him.

"I'm here. Pl-please." He cried out in hopes that someone, anyone would hear him. The vulture was getting away. If he got ahold of Stark tech a lot people were going to get hurt. "Please help. I'm here."

Tony had no clue how this happened. One minute, he and Peter were working in his personal lab, updating their suits and creating a new Stark laptop, and the next thing he knew Peter was curled up against the wall, crying and panicking.

"Peter? What's wrong kiddo?"

His knees would definitely ache with how fast and how hard he dropped to the cement floor. He knelt directly in front of Peter - who was in the middle of a panic attack, he realized - and with careful movements, cupped the boy's face so they were face to face. But he wasn't sure if Peter was actually seeing him or not. The distant, glazed over look in his eyes was worrying.

"Hey bud. I need you to listen to me." He tried to be firm but his voice shook nearly as much as Peter's. Mentally cursing himself for being stupid and not having better control over his emotions, he tried again. Right now he needed to be strong because his son needed him. "You're not there. Wherever you are in your head, whatever your seeing, it's not real."

Peter continued to hyperventilate and shake, but his tense posture softened to some extent. Tony took that as a good sign. Peter wasn't so lost in his memories that he couldn't register anything happening presently.

"You're here with me in my lab. It's Tony." He brushed Peter's bangs off his face and away from his eyes. "I've got you. You're safe."

After an agonizingly painful minute, Peter managed to huff out one word. "Tony?"

"Yes bud." Tony cheered, "it's me, I've got you." He took Peter's hand and held it to his chest so that his open palm was just above his heart. "Do you feel that? My heart beating... do you feel it?"

Peter gave a jittery nod in response. It wasn't much but he was responding, which tony was grateful for.

"Okay, now I need you to follow me. Okay? I need you to match my breathing." Taking one exaggerated breath then slowly letting it out - just like Rhodey had done for him when he'd experience flashbacks or something triggered a panic attack - then having Peter copy his actions.

"I-I can't." He shuddered, tears welling in his eyes. "I can't breathe."

"You can. Just focus on me, okay. Listen to my heart, I know you can hear it. Feel my hand," he squeezed the smaller hand within his own, "I'm right here."

It took almost ten minutes, but eventually his breathing evened out into a much healthier rhythm. With a tired sigh, he slumped back against the wall, never relinquishing his grip on Tony's hand. Their rough, calloused texture familiar and grounding for him.

"I'm sorry." He kicked one of the empty boxes beside him.

"Of course you apologize for having a panic attack." The billionaire rolled his eyes and sat back so he was beside Peter, their shoulders touching. "That was not your fault."

"It was just a bunch of stupid boxes." He nodded towards the various shapes and sizes of cardboard boxes lying around. "No big deal."

"Kid," he sighed, "it's not stupid to go through something like that. We all get them now and again. Plus you've been through some really shitty stuff. If anything it was my fault for stacking them up so high. He gestured towards another stack of boxes by the door. "I'm just too lazy to move 'em. I'll ask Steve to do it from now on, he's a big boy."

Peter chuckled, letting his head drop so it rested on Tony's shoulder. "Wait?" His eyebrows pinched together in concentration as he began worrying on his bottom lip. "Do you get panic attacks?"

"Yep." He popped the 'p' in emphasis. "After I flew through that wormhole carrying a nuclear bomb, my mind was pretty scrambled. After Afghanistan too." He pushed Peter playfully and laughed when he returned the gesture. "But I've got people lookin' out for me. You do too."

"I know. Thank you Tony."

"Now, What was that all about? Where'd your mind take you?"

Peter immediately looked away, the floor suddenly very interesting.

"Come on kid. I'll sit here all day if I have to. You need to start talking about this stuff."

"It… it was at Homecoming. The vulture, he ended up being my dates dad. He found out who I was and threatened to kill me. So I ditched Liz and followed the vulture to a warehouse and confronted him. His wings knocked out all the pillars…." His breath caught as the memories came flooding back, if Tony hadn't been there he definitely would've had another panic attack. "He knocked out all the pillars and the entire building fell on me."

Tony didn't say anything, just pulled peter back against his chest so he couldn't see the misty look in his eyes. Tony new next to nothing about what had occurred during Peter's Homecoming. The only concrete information the boy had given him was that he ditched the dance to fight Toomes and the rest was pretty self explanatory. But this… this was too much.

He knew how much Peter liked Liz - from the amount of texts mentioning her and the stuttered sentences - it was fairly obvious. And he was forced to ruin his friendship with her and any chance of having a relationship because of doing the right thing. Tony fought back another wave of tears when he remembered confiscating the high tech suit. It was his fault Peter was left to fight an experienced criminal with alien weaponry and no suit for protection.

"Don't worry Tony." Peter mumbled into his shoulder. "I lifted the cement and stuff off of myself. And I wasn't too hurt or anything, just a couple broken ribs and some bruises. Even after guiding your plane… and crashing it. Sorry 'bout that."

"Kid… I'm so sorry. I- wait." He sat back and held Peter at arms length. "You lifted over ten tons of debris by yourself, then guided my- how'd you guide the plane? Were you inside? It was self driving."

"I started off inside." He scratched the back of his neck. "Then I got thrown out by the vulture and used my webs to pull the plane from the outside."

Tony just stared at him, jaw nearly on the floor. "If I didn't feel so guilty right now, I'd be freaking the hell out about how amazing that is. Steve couldn't dream of doing that. I don't even know if Thor could do that."

Peter smiled, his cheeks tinted a rosy red. "I just wish I could get over these things." He made a vague hand gesture. "I don't like when things affect me like this."

"Flashbacks are usually scary." He admitted. "But you'll get through them. Like you did today. Just gotta trust me on this." He pulled the teen to his feet and guided him back to one of the lab tables. "Wanna help with one of the Ironman suits?"

"Hell yeah!" Peter was positively beaming, the toothy grin easing the worry within his chest.

"Friday. Put on Peter's playlist."

The two settled back into their routine as XAmbassadors Unsteady began to play.

…

"Oh my God! Doughnuts!" Clint screamed as he plowed head first into a box of chocolate glazed pastries. "Doughnuts for breakfast, what's the occasion?" He looked to his other teammates lounging about the kitchen, doughnuts either in their hands or piled onto a plate.

"It's been three and a half months that Peter's been living with us." Steve informed, taking a sip of his coffee. "We thought it'd be nice to celebrate."

"And y'u dn't 'ant to 'ell me?"

"You would have blabbed to Peter." Natasha replied coolly, not looking up from her magazine. "And don't talk with your mouth full. It's rude, disgusting and unprofessional."

Clint stuck his tongue out at her, grabbed another three doughnuts and sat beside the fridge - his usual perch.

Rhodey took a seat beside Scott, his third doughnut in hand. "How did the therapy session go yesterday?"

"Good." Tony sighed, relief evident in his voice. "It was ni- hey bud." He cut himself off as Peter walked in. "Looks like you sleep well."

Peter rubbed at his eyes and yawned. His sweatpants were wrinkled and the M.I.T sweatshirt Tony gave him was three times his size which Tony found absolutely adorable. The cutest part - Tony thought, a huge smile growing on his lips - was Peter's hair. The kid's bed head was insane; all kinky, curly and fluffy.

"It's so fluffy." Tony ruffled Peter's hair before leaning in for a hug. He enjoyed teasing Peter about how adorable he was, because then he'd blush and get all flustered, which in turn made him even cuter.

"Mornin' guys." He waved lazily to his team, still leaning heavily against Tony's sturdy chest.

"Good morning my малыш паучок" (baby spider) Natasha greeted him with a loving smile. "Как ты себя чувствуешь, дорогой?" (How do you feel sweetheart.) She cooed.

"Окей, мамочка." (Okay momma)

"Come get a doughnut kid." Bucky tapped one of the boxes filled with the decadent pieces of dough. "There's some red white and blue ones," he smirked at his old friend who rolled his eyes, "Steve left these for some reason."

"Go eat kid. Spider babies need a lot of food. Plus you still gotta gain weight." He maneuvered Peter so that he was upright and no longer clinging to him. "Go, go, go."

"Yeah, yeah, I know dad." Peter froze mid step, the realization of what he said hitting him hard. "I um… shit... I mean To-"

Tony cut him off, a huge smile on his face. "It's 'Bout time you said my name correctly. I did adopt you after all."

There was a brief moment of silence in which Peter processed his mentor's words. Everyone remained quiet as he stared at the billionaire slack jawed. The silence was broken by Peter's high pitched squeal.

"You're my dad! You're my dad! I have a dad." He tackles his dad in a hug, his joy and happiness so overwhelming that he doesn't realize he's lifted Tony off of the ground and is jumping around, Tony forced to go along on the ride. "You adopted me! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Oh thank you so much!"

The usual suave, cool and collected billionaire was grabbing the back of Peter's hoodie while laughing and screaming simultaneously. The team was on the floor with laughter; a sensation of peace and happiness settling within them they hadn't felt before.

"Oh my god!" He gasped, letting go of his dad but held onto him so he remained upright. "Does this mean the rest of the team are my aunt and uncles?" He looked to his heroes who had tears in their eyes but were smiling all the same.

"Course it does Underoos." He wiped the tears from his eyes and embraced his son again, holding him tightly. He smirked at his teammates. "And everyone owes me ten bucks."

At Peter's quizzical look he explained.

"You called me dad before calling any of them aunt or uncle."

Peter snorted out a laugh and leaned further into his dad's side. "But you're a billionaire that makes millions of dollars a month."

He tugged Peter's curls and smirked. "It's the principle kiddo."


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you sure you're ready?" Tony looked across the passengers seat towards the stampede of teenagers, all headed towards Midtown high. "I don't want you to get too stressed or anything. You could just start back up your junior year?"

"I'll be fine dad. It's just one week of finals then I'm off for the summer." He tightened his hold on the avengers themed backpack in his lap. "I'll be okay… I think."

"Are you worried about all the other kids?"

He knew exactly what was bothering his son, but the timid, hesitant nod was confirmation. How were his classmates going to react to the brightest kid in school coming back after being gone for almost five months?

"We've got the internship story worked out." He attempted to reassure him. "You're my intern who also lives at the tower because you were there so much. You don't gotta explain anything to anyone. Got it?

"But what if Flash says something? Everyone's going to think I'm some freak with no family."

"Hey." Gently, he turned Peter's head so they were face to face, one hand cupping his cheek. "A super kind, smart, funny, snarky and all around amazing hero once told me, "an opinion is worthless unless you value the person it's coming from." He poked Peter's nose, which was flushed a bright red much like the rest of his face. "You're gonna be fine kiddo. The team and I will always have your back."

"Thanks dad." Peter gave his dad a quick hug before opening his door and slinging his backpack over his shoulder, ready to face the day.


End file.
